Electric arc cutting electrode



Feb. 22, 1949. R. H. F. BooT ELECTRIC ARC CUTTING ELECTRODE Filed May 1, 1945 Mw 1 www@ 4mm Mw NN N www@ m www@ @I M www Nw www a mv w .mu WWK .Q M .mhum mum. @E k www bw mw f SN a km /fm' *A jmp/ff .7 /AV/ /A/l// E w.. .MM 1| l 1| y Mv /L/H \/\^\^^A^A\/ A A f .5 wm |l| |l i l 1 sw www. Nw Nm MS x QM AQ www@ www N MN m QQ ,fxvwwww MW .uwm IHIIHWHHUHNHUNHM WHHHMNHHH Patented Feb. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC ARC CUTTING ELECTRODE Application May 1, 1945, Serial No. 591,287 In Great Britain March 3, 1944 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires March 3, 1964 2 Claims. l

This invention comprises improvements in or relating to electric arc cutting devices.

It is an object of this invention to provide a process and apparatus for cutting metals under water by the aid of an electric arc. It has previously been proposed to strike an electric arc between a hollow carbon or tubular metal electrode under water and to direc-t a stream of oxygen through the centre of the electrode into the arc with the object of aiding the cutting action of the arc and the present invention relates to a process of this type.

If a hollow carbon electrode is employed for the purpose it is found that, owing to the porosity of the carbon, part of the oxygen escapes through the walls of the electrode into the water instead oi being directed as a jet on to the work. Furthermore, a requirement which is not satisfied by the refractory (that is to say heat resisting) carbon electrode is that the electrode should not be so brittle as to be liable to snap off under the effects oi an accidental blow, such as may easily occur under water owing to the difficulties of vision as compared with working in air. On the other hand if a drawn metal tubular electrode is employed with the object of obviating leakage and brittleness, the electrode burns away at an undesirably high rate in the presence of the oxygen at the arc.

The present invention contemplates the employment of a composite electrode which partly consists of a relatively refractory and low conductivity main body of material and partly of a less refractory but stronger relatively high-conductivity material.

According to the present invention an electrode for under-water arc-cutting comprises a refrac- Atory main body of carbon and a conductor of relatively high-conductivity and non-brittle but less refractory metal extending along the main body, the electrode including a passage for oxygen from end to end. In the use of such a composite electrode the less refractory conductor may tendrto burn back a short distance further than the "more refractory carbon main body, but the main body burns away more slowly and the life of the electrode is longer than would be the case if the whole electrode were made of metal.

The metallic conductor is of tubular form around the carbon main body so that it acts to prevent oxygen leakage.

The carbon may be ilatted or fluted and the high-conductivity conductor may consist of a tube spaced from the main body along the flatted or uted portion so that the oxygen passes along the 2 electrode between the tube and the main body. Preferably the high-conductivity conductor consists of brass or copper.

The invention further includes an appropriate holder for the electrodes and means to control the passage of oxygen therethrough.

The following is a description, by way of example, of one form of apparatus including a holder in accordance with the invention and of the process as carried out thereby:

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in longitudinal section through one form of electrode in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a cross-section of the same to a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a cross-section of an alternative form;

Figures 4 and 5 are cross-sections of further alternative forms;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of a holder for use in connection with the electrodes shown in Figures 1 to 5.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the electrode consists of a hollow carbon main body II which may be, say, half an inch in diameter. Through this main body there is a central passage I2 which may be, say ils of an inch in diameter. Over the external surface of the main body I I there is a skin of copper I3. The skin may be constituted by a tightly fitting thin-walled copper tube but is preferably produced by electro-deposition in situ. Over the skin I3 there is a coating III of insulating material which is intended to prevent leakage of electric current into surrounding water. This coating may be constituted by a varnish of a suitable insulating material preferably polyvinyl chloride, applied in the form of its solution in, say, benzene or toluene, and allowed to dry. The coating I4 is stopped short of the end of the electrode as indicated at I5, Figure 1, so that the copper skin I3 is exposed at the end to enable a good electrical connection to be obtained in the holder. The arc is struck at the other end I6 of the electrode. The skin I3 is thickened at the end beyond the coating I4 where it is exposed, for example it may be covered with a metal bush 43 and this is screw-threaded as shown at 44 to t in the holder hereinafter described. If the skin I3 consists of a tube which is slid over the carbon main body I I it may be continued to the end of the electrode and screwthreaded without the provision of a bush.

Referring to Figure 3, this shows a carbon main body 2l having an internal copper tube 22 and an external copper sheath 23, covered with an insulating coating 24.

A further form of electrode according to the invention is shown in Figure 4 where the main body is constituted by a'carbon member 25 overwhich isfitted a copper or brass tube 26. The main body 25 is iiattened as at 21, 28, 29, 36 on four sides so as to leave spaces 3i between the' outer tube 26 and the main body. These spaces constitute oxygen passages. The outer tube 26 is covered as before with an insulating coating 32, and is screwthreaded atthe end'to ritV into 'ie holder in a similar way to the screwthread 44 in Figure l. Y

The main body 26 is of relatively low-conductivity electrically as compared with the brass or copper tube 26, and it is found that it actssimilarly to the carbon main body described in connection with Figures 1 to 4 in that it burns awayv much more slowly than a drawn metal main body would do. The oxygen passages 3l which surround the main body are found to be very efiective in promoting a good cutting action;

Figure shows a further alternative comprising a carbon main body 33 whichis luted down the sides as indicated at 3d and is enclosed within a copper or brass tube 65. The iiutes 3d provide oxygen spaces 36. The tube 35 is covered with aninsulating sheath 31.

Figure shows a holder which is adapted for use with the electrodes described in connection with' Figures i to 5. The holder con-sists of a terminal bloc-k member 5e which is made of a heat-resisting dense metal such asA a copper chromium alloy and which is internallyr screwthread-ed at el to t the screwthreadlof the electrodes. The terminal block 56 is covered with a nose 52 of insulating material which is secured to it by a screwthread 53. The nose 52 has an internally projecting flange'il'which' overlies a soft rubber packing member 55; The'pa'cking member 55 is supported by a metal ring and the flange 5d grips the packing ring 55'and presses it against the ring 56. Theinsulating nose 52 is made of a hard material 'such'as hard synthetic rubber and after it has been screwed in place it is iixed .by means of'a metal pin 51 the head of which `is covered over with Chatter- Vtons compound 56 or other insulating compound.

The effect of screwing an.v electrode into the thread 5i is to secure a good electrical connection with the terminal block 59 and at the same time to secure that entry of water is prevented bythe soit'rubber sealing ring 55. Within the terminal block- 5i! is a ball valve 51 which rests on a` seat ing member 58 screwed in the backof the terminal block. The seating member 56 also serves to seat in place a cage 59. Through theV seating member 58 there lsan oxygen'passage 5D and through the cage il@ there is an oxygen passage t l which forms a continuation of the passage Bil. The ball 51 is hel-d on to the seating member 58 by a slider 552 urged toward the #ballv by a' spring (53. The slider has a central oxygen passage-in continuation ci the passage 6l and inv order to prevent the ball valve 51 from'sealing the passage in the slider the slider is provided with a transverse out 6i like the screwdriver slot in the head'cf a screw,V where it engages the ball valve 5'?. If oxygen under pressure is applied therefore to the passage 66 it can force down the ball 51 and enter the pas-sage 6i and pass thence into the oxygen pas-sages in the electrode, and Aso to thejarc when the latter is struck at'the 'other' end" of the electrode.`

The terminal block 50 is externally screwthreaded at 65 to t into a screwthread 66 in the interior of an intermediate block 61 in the end ci the main body of the holder. The intermediate block 61 is secured on a screwed stern 68 of a cable adapter socket 66. The cable adapter socket 66 has its axis at right angles to the axis of the intermediate block 61 and the block and the adapter socket are :both enclosed in the body 1G of the holder which is made of metal but is insulated from the adapter socket and the intermediate block by an insulating sleeve 1i around the intermediate block and a further sleeve 12 aroundthe socket 66. Through the screwed end of the socket 69 and the intermediate block 61 there is an oxygen passage 13 which opens into an oxygen chamber 14 in a cap 15 screwed to the body of the holder 1B. A nipple 16 screwed in the' back of the cap 1li is connected by union nuts1 11 to an oxygen Isupply pipe 13 and the supply pipe 18 is connected by a running joint and a lock-nut 16 to an oxygen valve chamber 66.

An oxygen control valve is pro-vided consisting of a headed Valve member 8i having a stem S2 ich passes through packing Washers S3 and a grand nut @il arranged in a boss or enlargement on the end of the body 16 of the holder. Below the Valve member 8i is a seating 8% in the centre of which is a port 51 and depression of the stem Sill will close the valve member 8i on the seating and shut oi the oxygen supply. The oxygen is supplied through a passage 83 and nipple 8S from a exible supply pipe. Movement of the stem S2 of the valve Bl is eiiected by alever 9i pivoted at 6d to the enlargement 85 and carrying an adjustment screw S2 with a knurled head'93. It is to be observed that the circular part oi the holder body l@ constitutes a handle by which the holder can be grasped by the operator and the lever 6i extends in a general direction more or less parallel with the handle iso that the lever 9i and the body 'iii can 'be grasped together in the same hand. Consequently, pressure exerted through the grasping of the holder by the operator shuts oli the oxygen but if the grasp is relaxed a little oxygen will beV admitted freely to the electrode. If it is :desired to shut o oxygen altogether after an electrode has been used this can be done by screwing up the knurled-head screw 92, The reactionk of the Screw 92 is taken by a screw 65 acting as an adjustable stop.

The electrical connections for supplying current to the electrode through the cable'socket member b9 comprise a thimble 95 which is soldered to the end 96 of the supply cable 91. The thimble is provided with a slightly tapered plug 98 which enters and nts iirmly in a correspondingly tapered hole Se in the cable socket 69. The cable 91 is rubber insulated and water is excluded from the thimble S5 by' sealing the joint with Ohattertons compound 66, backed by three rubber gland rings i ill and a gland nut |62.

There is an insulating washer i03'between the cap 15 and the intermediate block 61 and a soft rubber washer i815 makes a watertight joint betweenV the cover 52 ci the terminal block 50 and the ange i535 ofthe body i9.

It will be Seen that this holder aiiords a good electrical connection between the cable 91 and the electrode which'is screwed into the terminal block 53 and also an eiiective and easily controlled gas supply to such electrode which supply is not liable to leak away into the atmosphere. Furthermore the insulation is continued by the *sheath ili'on the electrode, which enters vthe 'rubber ring 5'5, right down to the arc and thus electrolysis is wholly prevented.

It is more convenient that the regulating valve 8l should be normally open, and adapted to be closed by pressure of the lever 9| than that it should be normally shut and adapted to be opened by such pressure because if the valve is normally open the operator does not have to maintain a strong grasp of the parts when the arc is working, which is during the greater part of the time that he is engaged on the job.

In use, an open-circuit voltage of about 80 volts is adopted which falls to about 25 to 35 volts when an arc has been struck by the operator between the end ci the electrode and a metallic plate or other part which is to .be cut. As soon as the operator has struck the arc he reduces the pressure of his grasp en the handle and thereby opens the oxygen valve and causes a stream of oxygen to be directed upon the work. Cutting then proceeds. The amount of the current for cutting plates up to two inches thick may be about 350 amperes. Cutting will proceed effectively under the surface of water or any other liquid. The oxygen pressure must, of course, be adequate to overcome pressure of water surrounding the arc. It is found that when cutting under water a cut in heavy steel plate may be made at the rate of one inch of cut for every inch of electrode which is burnt away.

I claim:

1. An electrode for underwater arc cutting comprising a refractory main body of carbon, a metal casing surrounding the carbon and an insulating covering over the metal casing, the carbon and casing being formed to provide a passage for oxygen from end to end of the electrode within the casing.

2. An electrode for underwater arc cutting comprising a refractory main body of carbon, a metal casing surrounding the carbon, an insulating covering over the metal casing throughout the length thereof from one end to a point near the other end, said metal casing between the end of the insulating covering and the end of the electrode comprising a smooth circular portion adapted to aord a watertight joint with a cooperating joint member of a holder and a screwthreaded portion at the end of the electrode beyond the smooth circular portion, the carbon and casing being formed to provide a passage for oxygen from end to end of the electrode within the casing.

ROBERT HENRY FARMER. BOOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,314,603 Mott Sept. 2, 1919 1,609,859 Bond Dec. 7, 1926 1,687,081 Chapman Oct. 9, 1928 2,210,640 Swafford Aug. 6, 1940 2,371,945 Barbeck Mar. 20, 1945 2,398,427 Hediger Apr. 16, 1946 

